Draymond Green has finally addressed the viral moment of him talking to Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. during their preseason game.
Talking on his podcast, the Golden State Warriors star revealed that he gave Acuff advice about sharing the ball with his Kings teammates.
Green also gave him some possible thoughts from Acuff’s teammates after he failed to give him a share of the possession on the play.
Draymond Green Was Trying To Get To Darius Acuff’s Mind
“My advice to him was just ‘hey man, who else touched the ball that possession?’, he’s like ‘nobody’ and I was like ‘don’t have many of those’ because you can end up having a bunch of those with the Sacramento Kings this year and a few things can happen,” Green said.
“You can get guys start plotting against you, guys that don’t really wanna see you do well, guys that start bickering on the side to other guys… you can get guys that get upset like ‘aahh man they wanna give this rookie this, they wanna do that, f**k that!’… and so for me when I saw that, I just wanted to give him a little game.”
During an NBA preseason game on October 11, Green went viral for pulling aside Acuff on the sideline to share veteran advice and basketball pointers mid-game.
The moment sparked playful and competitive speculation across social media as Acuff looked laser-focused on the game while Green was bickering on his side.
Acuff Jr., the 7th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft out of Arkansas, impressed during the game, finishing with 25 points and 8 assists.
Both players share a Michigan background, with Green coming from Saginaw and Acuff from Detroit. Green has previously praised Acuff, calling him a top point guard from his draft class.
Darius Acuff Jr. Says He Is Willing To Learn From Anyone In The NBA
The 19-year-old Darius Acuff Jr. has always dreamt of playing in the NBA. Now that he is in the league, Acuff said that he is willing to learn from anyone.
“I always felt like [an NBA player]. I always dreamed of it,” Acuff said. “So it’s kind of hard not to feel like you’re not there. But when you actually get here, like doing this is kind of another thought, like, damn, I really made it. But like I said, just soaking it all in, just trying to be that young player willing to learn from anybody. It’s still great, though.”
Acuff will certainly see more of Green’s antics in his career but he is only focusing on developing himself and helping the Kings win games in the upcoming season.
“We want something to fuel you. Like I said, my one thing that I said is I’ve been really trying to win. So you know, I’m not too worried about what other people say. I’m focused on what me and the team are trying to do, and that’s win games,” Acuff said.
The Kings only won 22 games last season. Alongside Acuff are veterans Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and the returning Ben Simmons, who is on a veteran, one-year deal to prove his worth in the NBA once again.
Draymond Green Reveals Telling Message To Kings Rookie In Viral Moment